Acquiring or changing a home is always a serious step that requires thoughtful, balanced decisions. Such an event does not happen every day, so it is logical that you need to conscientiously prepare for it in advance.
The buyer should be attentive to intuition, but still calm down his emotions, which sometimes drown out the voice of reason. Unfortunately, as practice shows, not all people are experienced in the acquisition of real estate and can make unfortunate mistakes that will cost them, at best, part of their finances. This is due to the lack of a thorough understanding and knowledge of all stages when buying an apartment. This is especially true for citizens who decide to purchase housing in a mortgage. They can not always find out who to contact, what papers the package of documents consists of, at what stage to deposit money. Therefore, they may inadvertently end up in the tenacious clutches of scammers.
In this article, we will tell you how to choose the right apartment when buying in a new building or on the secondary market. Contact us at https://hawaiitrustedrealty.com/ if you are interested in buying property in Oahu or any other city on Hawaii.
We determine the landmark: new building or resale
It is difficult to make a universal recipe for choosing a dream apartment, since people have completely different preferences and criteria, respectively. But there are some general rules to keep in mind. First you need to narrow down your search and decide whether you are ready to buy a home not from a developer or a bank, but from previous tenants.
To do this, you need to assess the situation with the available capital and your personal tastes, because both housing options have pros and cons.
What is good and what is dangerous new building
At first glance, everything is obvious and it seems that apartments in new buildings cannot have flaws. Yes, indeed, the benefits prevail over them.
- new housing, without traces of the previous owners;
- the layout of the premises is much more modern than similar apartments of previous years, every year the architects improve the equipment of the entrances, the cubic capacity of the apartments and the layout of the rooms;
- often new houses are not built one at a time, but a whole residential complex or microdistrict with its own internal infrastructure is rebuilt. In such a cluster of houses, designers are trying to build a kindergarten, a clinic, which are essential institutions. But in addition, caring developers think over the location of stores so that for groceries or household chemicals you literally need to go down to the first floor of your house. There are residential complexes with organized protection of the territory, which pleases young mothers with children.
- But, to our great regret, not a single phenomenon can do without minuses, and new buildings also have disadvantages.
- first of all, this is of course the price, often for modern and comfortable conditions there is a tidy sum. You can calm down with the only fact that from year to year the cost of secondary housing is also steadily growing.
- but there is a more serious minus than the above – this is low-quality new housing. Yes, this also happens, unscrupulous developers offer buyers housing with cracks, with defective double-glazed windows or ventilated loggias. Some flaws in the building are visible to the naked eye, while others are waiting in the wings to become an unpleasant surprise for future residents already in the process of living in such an apartment.
- insignificant, but still a minus can be called the fact that completely new microdistricts are not inhabited, sometimes they are partially empty. And they can also be significantly removed from convenient transport links; there may not be a stop or even the highway itself nearby. But you will learn about this nuance when you get to the place of viewing your potential nest.
Advantages and disadvantages of secondary housing
If everything is more or less clear with new housing, then the situation with the secondary housing is the opposite: what are the advantages here?
Let’s start with the benefits:
- The price of such apartments, as they say, is red. Among the large number of proposals you can find very comfortable housing, which will perfectly combine price and quality.
- Areas are usually inhabited and ennobled by people. There, somewhere, something was inconvenient, people adapted it for themselves long ago.
- Another plus is that they used to build for centuries. Therefore, you can not be afraid of poor-quality repairs.
- The apartment after the sale and purchase transaction is almost immediately ready to accept new owners.
- Neighbors will always tell you the nearest and most convenient routes to the center and other institutions that are needed for life and leisure.
Secondary cons:
- Housing may remain after the owners in not the best condition, some places are not suitable for subsequent living at all.
- To find an acceptable option, you will need to visit a lot of apartments, as the ads for sale can be fake, and the apartments themselves do not match the photo. In addition, some significant defects can only be detected by viewing.
- The apartment itself may look good, but the house may already be registered with the emergency service, be careful and scrupulous in this matter! Best of all, if doubts crept in, ask the neighbors.
- The area may even be located in the city center, but the contingent will not please the new settlers, this is also worth paying attention to.
How to choose an apartment to buy: territory analysis
The selection of an apartment can be entrusted to specialists from a real estate agency. Realtors have an established base and are better oriented in the market. In addition, they know information that does not lie on the surface. But agents charge a certain amount of money for their work, which increases the cost of housing. Acting on your own is at least a little problematic, but financially it is more convenient.
To narrow down the search to the scale of an apartment, you must first evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the area itself, where the residential complex and specifically the house are located.
What are the criteria for choosing a region?
It’s no secret that cities and other settlements tend to expand. They are increasing precisely due to the growth of ever new microdistricts and residential areas. These lands are essentially undeveloped, so that they truly enter the city, it will take time. If you are not afraid of this period of development, then you can consider these options. But be prepared for the fact that the social ties between the district and the city are just being established. This affects the fact that there are some difficulties with the regularity of minibuses and other public transport, and it is not always possible to find out which clinic your house is assigned to at the first time. Therefore, the best solution would be to choose housing in the same area and away from industrial zones, which are often located just outside the city.
The choice of area can be influenced by the location of your work, study, places where you often like to walk. Examine transport interchanges, see if there are direct public transport routes to you.
Evaluate the internal infrastructure of the area, the availability of shops and their range, as well as the freshness of the products. This is important, because in any case you will have to shop in them at least occasionally and on trifles.
Pay attention and check the quality of recreational areas. If the microdistrict stands apart, then be prepared for the fact that the yard will be a frequent place for your walks and recreation. Children’s playgrounds must be safe and serviceable, and benches must be at each entrance.
